I arrived in Antigua directly after the eruption of Fuego volcano. Fuego is known to be a very active volcano but the recent eruption was the largest in at least the last lifetime. The eruption killed many and displaced many more, many of which are now trying to make a new life in Antigua.
The volcano right next to Fuego, Acatenango just recently became available to hike again. The danger has kept many away from the hike, but it is what drew me in, so I decided to go against what everyone was telling me and booked a hike to climb Acatenango.
With the large eruption so recent there were very few of us willing to do the hike. Me and an Irish dude, Sam, had our guide Lucas to ourselves. It was the first time Lucas had done the hike since the eruption and he told us many stories about how he was on Acatenango the day it happened. It was pitch black due to the ash and raining rocks from the sky. One of his friends had his leg blown out with volcanic rock and the other got hit in the head and is still recovering. Here he is being an absolute champ and showing us some local flora.
The hike was a bit rough, but after putting one foot after the other for long enough you can make it anywhere in life. Throughout the hike Lucas commented on how different things were after the eruption, areas that didn’t have rocks before were now covered. Each bush you touched would shake with a puff of volcanic ash. At base camp we could see the recent carnage on some of the tents and tarps that were set up.
At base camp we got an absolutely spectacular view of Fuego and every 10-20 minutes we would see a pretty decent eruption. You could feel the earth shake a little beneath your feet with each one.
The hike took two days. We the second morning we hiked up from base camp to the top of Acatenango. It only took about an hour, but I only brought shorts and two light jackets that did nothing against the moisture. I used my Alaska winter training and pretended I didn’t feel it while I secretly shook on the inside.
In the morning we did not get to see Fuego from Acatenango because of the fog. As we descended the mountain back to base camp the fog began to lift and we got a good view of Fuego. At this point I flew the drone over there and he was promptly swept away by the wind. I’ve been in mourning now for two days.
During the trek we got to hear our guide’s personal story about the major eruption. There had been a man that he described as, “loco,”and 400 pounds who had repeatedly told people that he was told by God to go kill himself by jumping into the fires of Fuego. He attempted twice and was brought back down by guides and returned to his family. The third time he went up he was seen naked and eating horse poop. Somehow he survived the night without clothes and either fell or jumped off a cliff on Acatenango across from Fuego. Lucas had been going on the rescue party to bring back his body the day Fuego erupted and killed so many. Many attribute the strange occurrence with the man to the reason that the eruption happened, or at least with such fury.
